Niederegger Lubeck Marzipan

Ah, the cost of research. My sister accurately called me out on using this blog as an excuse to buy expensive candy bars, but since I actually do review them, I think it’s a valid excuse. Here, we have the latest example: $8 marzipan.

I bought this at a local, family-owned fancy grocery store chain (they have 6 locations) right around Christmas time. It’s quite a hefty brick of marzipan! I’ve had Niederegger Lubeck Marzipan Classic before, so this review might be a little redundant, but I think there is a difference between the bars. Plus, I had to cut this one with a steak knife!


Under the thin dark chocolate shell, the marzipan was moist and delicious, with a tender, chewy texture. The almond flavor and was delicate and enticing, with lots of amaretto notes. The cool, bittersweet chocolate had hints of vanilla, and it was a lovely accent for the almond paste (particularly, making it slightly reminiscent of liquor).

I happened to have a Ritter Sport Marzipan square on hand, and in a head to head comparison, the Niederegger marzipan blows Ritter Sport out of the water. I don’t think I’ll be dropping $8 on marzipan again any time soon, but it was definitely worth the expense, if only once.

A

Niederegger website

Niederegger Lubeck Marzipan Classic

There's a lot of chocolate in my house these days, and I've been slowly working my way through it. Thanks to various colds and sinus issues, I haven't been in the mood for tasting much of anything, but my taste buds seem to be functioning again so I'll keep trying to stay on top of it.

This bar was part of a birthday present from my sister, so I'm not really sure where she got it. Marzipan is a new favorite of mine, discovered when I tried Ritter Sport Marzipan earlier this year. When marzipan pieces are included in chocolate or truffle boxes, they are always some of my favorites, but my exposure is still pretty limited.


The gorgeous gold wrapper caught my eye, as did the glossy bittersweet chocolate. The bar had a nice slightly bitter cocoa scent with a subtle, cherry-like hint of almond, which was a great start. The pieces snapped apart in a satisfying (though sometimes uneven) way, and the marzipan inside looked moist (in an appetizing way - some people are weird about that word).

The chocolate coating had a decent balance of bitter and sweet, and it did a good job of accenting the marzipan with a slight fruitiness. This marzipan had all the lovely cherry or amaretto notes I adore. The paste was slightly drier than in other marzipan chocolates I've tried, but I was able to put that aside because the flavor was really lovely.

A-

Niederegger website

Ritter Sport Marzipan

When I was younger, my father's job had him travelling overseas every few years, and one of the best things about that was the souvenirs he brought back. When he went to Germany, he brought back an assortment of mini Ritter Sport squares. Of course, these can be purchased in the United States, but that was my first exposure to them.

Since then, all kinds of different flavors have popped up, and I still run across the odd (not necessarily new) flavor, just waiting to be tasted. At a local Fresh Market (think Whole Foods but smaller), Ritter Sport Marzipan was on sale, and I couldn't resist. It came highly recommended by both the checkout clerk and the customer ahead of me in line.


The dark chocolate bar was absolutely gorgeous with just the right amount of gloss. A quick break released the wonderful aroma of almonds and cocoa, and from the first taste, I was hooked. The marzipan had a wonderfully gritty texture that reminded me of cookie dough (since they can serve a similar purpose), and the taste reminded me of amaretto liqueur.

Although the smooth, mild dark chocolate would have been okay on its own, it was a wonderful match for the marzipan. It was difficult to put this bar down, and it is close in the running to my beloved Butter Biscuit for my favorite Ritter Sport squares. One small issue I had was that the marzipan was soft and moist for the most part, but there were some dry spots scattered throughout the bar.

Check out the Ritter section at Candy Blog for several reviews, including Marzipan, and have a look at Chocablog's review of the Marzipan bar.

B+

Ritter Sport website